


Love, Patiently

by crezymofo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Cheating, F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, M/M, Slow Burn, dont worry, its not harry or louis cheating on each other, wedding au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-06-01 15:39:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6526126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crezymofo/pseuds/crezymofo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I always thought it’d be us, you know?” Harry said forlornly. Louis was taken aback. They hadn’t talked about the breakup, not yet at least. He wasn’t exactly expecting Harry to mention it so casually. There wasn’t really anything Louis could say without revealing too much. Realizing Louis wasn’t going to comment, Harry continued, “Did you ever think about it? When we were together I mean.” Louis huffed out an incredulous laugh, “Yeah. Yeah, I thought about it.” He even had the simple silver band hidden in a shoebox in his closet to prove it. Harry smiled to himself and nodded, “We were good once, yeah?” Louis looked into his eyes, trying to determine what was stirring behind them, “The best.” </p><p>After years apart, a wedding brings Harry and Louis back together. Throw in some poorly timed sexual tension, a best friend reunion and some crying on the dance floor and you've got yourself a party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prequel

**Author's Note:**

> I strongly suggest listening to some Shakey Graves while you read this. The work title comes from one of his of the same name. I also recommend Hard Wired, Built to Roam, Unlucky Skin and To cure what ails. Also, if there is anything that I have forgotten to tag please let me know.

Louis was fuming. Harry had promised him this wouldn’t happen again. Things hadn’t been good lately. Harry had been on some sort of bender and it was becoming more and more difficult to deal with. Louis had no idea how to work through it; he never imagined their lives would turn out this way.

Harry had Louis wrapped around his finger from the moment they met. Louis had just moved to Cheshire, angry and rebellious after his mother’s divorce. Everything changed the instant he laid eyes on Harry Styles. He was the most endearing boy Louis had ever encountered. Three-year-old Harry Styles was bright eyed and enamored with the world. He was so full of life and love, Louis was bound to him from the beginning. They started dating on Harry’s 17th birthday.

The moment Harry graduated they left their small town and moved to London. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. At that point, they believed that love could conquer all hardships. Louis soon learned that love, unfortunately, couldn’t pay the bills.

While Harry was playing in dingy clubs and trying to get his name out there, Louis was working two jobs to keep them afloat. It wasn’t all bad. Louis best memories were from that time in his life. In fact, they met their best friends there.

Niall, a boisterous Irish lad, worked in one of Harry’s said dingy clubs. As Harry and Louis became regulars, they soon bonded over their shared love of music. Suddenly Niall was over at their place more often than not. His and Harry’s lyrics were strewn all about the apartment, but they swore they were going to write a hit.

Along with Niall came Zayn, a brooding artist with the voice of an angel. Louis took an instant liking to the boy. He was quiet and aloof, but Louis loved when he could pull him out of his shell with talk of comic books and tattoos.

As much as Louis despised his job as a server, one good thing did come from it. It was there that Louis met Liam, an audio production student. They hit it off almost immediately, well that is after Liam got used to Louis brash sense of humor. Zayn was also quite taken with Liam. Where it took forever for Liam and Zayn to warm up to Louis, it took them no time at all to warm up to each other.

The five of them became a close-knit group. They were always together, always making music and drinking and having a laugh. Of course, there were through the tough times as well, but they all stuck together.

It was all worth it when Harry came home with fire in his eyes and told Louis there was a man who wanted to sign him. They celebrated for five days and only left their bed for food and bathroom breaks. It was a love to last a lifetime, or so they thought. They had three perfect years together, happy and in love.

Harry was signed to his first label at 20. All the boys were ecstatic. As much as it meant to Harry for his dreams to come true, it meant just as much to all of them. Niall’s songs were credited, Liam started producing, Zayn even sang back up. It was a start for all them.

The album was a labor of love and the final product was fantastic. When _Hard Wired_ dropped it was met with such astounding reception. It propelled Harry to rock star status, pulling Louis along with him.

They packed up their apartment in London, said goodbye to their friends and family and move to L.A. It was as if all their dreams were coming true.

It wasn’t long after that, that the tour started. There were people everywhere, throwing themselves at Harry left and right. Louis had never worried about other people before. This new life had Harry immersed in a different crowd than Louis accustomed to. Gone were the days sitting playing FIFA with the lads. The life of a rock star was almost too much to be expected. Louis wasn’t one for the lavish parties filled with the rich and famous where nothing was too taboo. Harry reveled in them.

The music business was unforgiving and taught Harry the harsh truths of life. The Harry that Louis had loved since he was 17 became almost unrecognizable. The man who Harry had grown into was selfish. He cared only about his own needs, which now included drugs and alcohol to get him through the day.

Louis couldn’t pinpoint where everything went wrong. It was as if all a sudden there were people pushing themselves, liquor and drugs at Harry. Louis never imagined that Harry would get sucked into it all. He never imagined that Harry would choose anything over their life together. Louis didn’t see how wrong he could be until it was all too late.

For months, Harry swore that Louis was the only thing that could help him through the rut he was in. Louis believed him. He pleaded with him to get help, to put this life behind them and go back to London. Harry always said yes, he would get better, that they would leave. It never happened. He soon came to realize that Harry was full of empty promises.

Still, Louis couldn’t give him up. Harry’s addiction was to drugs and alcohol. Louis’ addiction was to Harry. So when Harry would go out, sometimes for days on end, Louis never denied him. Louis knew he would always come back. This time was going to be different.

Harry had gone out hours earlier without as much as a whisper to where he was headed. It took Louis three hours and 38 phone calls to find him.

Louis knew something needed to be done. It was killing both of them, in one way or another. It needed to end once and for all. By the time he made it to the disgusting hotel Harry was holed up in, he had enough gumption to give him an ultimatum.

There were throngs of people everywhere Louis looked. Some of the faces were recognizable and even offered a warm welcome to the party. He wasn’t there for that, he needed to find Harry. When he finally laid eyes on him, it took everything in his power not to drag him away.

Harry was sitting on a couch with two women tucked under his arms. He was whispering in one’s ear and the other was cutting lines of coke on the glass table in front of them. “Harry!” Louis shouted. He ignored the way his stomach curled at the blissed-out expression on Harry's face. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

Harry’s brows furrowed, “I’m in the middle of something right now.”

Louis clenched his teeth and held back his harsh words. “It’s your choice, Harry. You either come home with me now or you don’t come home at all. I’m done with all this. So choose what’s more important: me or them,” he said as he gestured to the women and drugs in front of him. Harry just rolled his eyes and leaned down to take a hit. He’d made his choice. So without a second look back, Louis left.

Harry never came home.

***

Two months went by without a word from Harry and Louis was struggling. He didn’t know how to move on from a person when their presence was still all around you. It was like a phantom limb. It’s not there, but you can still feel it.

He decided to sort through the house. There were things that belonged not to one or the other, but both of them. There was too much ours’ to separate the mine from yours’. Even the things that were explicitly Louis’ had Harry embedded in them. Louis himself had Harry embedded in him. Louis was struggling, but he didn’t know how to make it better.

Louis had never been good at keeping his emotions in check. Instead of indignantly crying over Harry choosing his new life over theirs, he channeled his sadness. Not into anything productive of course, but into riding every thought of Harry from his life. He channeled it into anger.

Niall comes to get Harry’s things. What Louis had not destroyed was packed up and waiting on the curb. Louis looks around expecting relief, a weight to be lifted. All he sees is that his house is no longer a home. 

He cuts off all his hair because Harry had once told him his favorite was when it was long. He gets so many tattoos he loses count and even covers up the dagger in a fit of rage. He leaves the rope and compass, not daring to go that far.

He builds up walls around his heart, acts nonchalant as if nothing has happened. He hoped that if other people believe it, maybe he could too. He gives in to physical need and finds strangers to help release the tension. He fucks his way through half of L.A., hoping it somehow will make him feel better about everything.

The boys try to help in their own ways. Niall takes him out, gets him drunk. Zayn comes come to the house and try to comfort him with familiarity and video games. Liam wanted to talk, to get him to sort out his feelings. None of it was helping.

He drank himself into a stupor more often than not.  It’s wasn’t healthy. It’s wasn’t helping, but it was something to pass the time.

Some days he stopped trying. He’d stay home, curl up in one of Harry’s sweaters he found after the thought and cry for hours. Louis was still struggling.

It all came crashing down on a day like any other. Louis had gone to work a mindlessly numbing day, nothing out of the ordinary. He stopped on his way home to pick up a pack of cigarettes, a carton of milk and a loaf of bread. He drove home in steady traffic while listening to the top 40 on the radio. When he arrived home their house, put away his groceries, changed his clothes and sat on the couch to relax.

He flicked through the channels coming to a stop at E!News. He had never been particularly fond of the program, but what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Big bold letters “Harry Styles in Rehab!” stared back at him. The presenter spoke of the statement his publicist released earlier that day. She concluded with the steady downfall of the young rock star’s career over the past year.

Louis unfeelingly turned off the TV and went to the liquor cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of Scotch and poured himself a glass, then another, then another. He drank until the bottle was gone and so were all the thoughts swimming around his head.

He woke up in the hospital. Apparently the cleaning lady had found him face down in a pile of his own vomit. According to his doctor, his stomach had been pumped and he was lucky to be alive. Louis didn’t have much time to come to terms with the news that he almost died. His friends and family gathered around him with worried looks on their faces. Zayn was the first to speak, “I guess you heard then?”

Lottie elbowed him in the ribs, “Jesus Z, he just woke up. Give ‘im a minute.”

Louis nodded, “It's fine Zayn. How’s he doing?”

Lottie snorted, “Better than you right now, I’d reckon.”

Louis’ mother came to the side of his bed and rested his hand on Louis’, “I think you should go see him, Lou. It’s time for you both to get some closure.”

Louis balked at her, “I-.”

His mother shook her head, “No, I don’t want to hear it. We are all worried about you, both of you. I don’t know if you’ve forgotten but Harry used to be a part of this family as well. You are both hurting and I don’t know if there is any way you will ever move on if you don’t talk to him.”

 “He had all the time in the world to talk things out. It’s been a year without a word from him, so no. I’m not going.”

Zayn came over and shuffled his way to the bed beside Louis. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to see him. It’s been a long time and I’m honestly not sure if it would even help anything at this point.” He takes Louis hand in his, “This has been hard on all us, yeah? We just want our best friends back and we can’t have that if you’re both dead.”

Louis casts his eyes down and fiddles with Zayn’s many rings, “I didn’t mean for it to go this far. It will never happen again. I won’t leave you guys but,” He looks up into his mother’s eyes, “I won’t go see him. I can’t. It would kill me to see him and for him to still not choose me.”

His mother nods in understanding, “Ok Lou. Ok.”

He started going to a therapist once a week. She told him he needed to learn to be his own person. It had been HarryandLouis for so long he had lost sight of who he was by himself. She explained how their relationship was never healthy, them being so codependent. He needed to find what made him tick, what his hopes and dreams were without Harry. He needed to learn hope to cope.

Zayn was the one to finally talk some sense into him, “Lou, it’s been over a year. He’s not come back; don’t you think it’s time to move on?” It didn’t burn the way it used to when Zayn brought up moving on. They both knew something had to be done. Louis needed to get back to his life before Harry, whatever was left of it. “How do you propose I do that Z?”

He gestures to their surroundings, “You could start by moving out. Separate yourself from what used to be. Isn’t that what the therapist said?”

It’s what Louis was afraid of. Letting go of everything he and Harry had shared. He’d let Harry go, but he couldn’t bring himself to part with the memories. “It’s time Louis. Sitting here wallowing isn’t going to bring him back.”

Louis nodded, “Ok.”

Zayn pulled him in for a hug, “Ok.”

Without Harry, LA wasn’t home. So he did the most drastic thing he could think of and moved back to London. He sold their house and bought a flat that reminded him nothing of Harry. He got a job producing at a record label and started writing songs again. They were all about Harry of course.

Much to Louis’ dismay, one of his songs was sold for Harry to record. It was Niall who facilitated the deal for which Louis would be forever grateful. It was even to be the first single off of Harry’s highly anticipated second album.

It was soon after Harry was released from rehab that his album came out. All the magazines talked about the soul-searching he had done and how he finally got back to his roots. Louis refused to listen to it.

It wasn’t exactly an easy task seeing as Harry was everywhere Louis looked. Every talk show, every event, every radio station, it was maddening. Both Liam and Niall tried to contact him to visit Harry, to bring in some familiarity from his time before everything. It strained their relationships heavily when Louis refused to go.

Three years and some months after Harry and Louis had parted ways; Louis received a call from Niall. Two years since Harry got clean. Over a year since Louis and Niall had even spoken.

“Hello?” he said cautiously.

“Mate, it’s been ages!” Niall yelled into the receiver.

Louis smiled at the sound of his Irish friend, “It really has. How’ve you been Nialler?”

“Things have been bloody amazing! Actually, ’m getting married!”

Louis was in shock. He hadn’t even known that Niall was dating anyone, “That’s great Ni. Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Her name is Mel and she’s probably the greatest person I’ve ever met. I still can’t believe she said yes! Oh, and before I get sidetracked, I want you to be one of me groomsmen.”

“Of course, I would love to. I’m so proud of you mate,” he said sincerely.

“I’m so happy to hear you say that. I was worried you wouldn’t want to after everything that happened.”

“You’re still my best friend Niall, nothing will change that.”

Niall sniffled, “Ok, I’ll text you the important shit later. Love you, man.”

Louis chuckled, “Love you too, Ni.”

After the phone call ended, Louis had about a billion thoughts running through his head. It had been three years since he had seen Harry Styles. Three years since he’d seen the only man he had ever loved. Now he had a set date and time where he would be forced to see him and there was nothing he could do to avoid it. Louis wasn’t sure if he could survive it. The thought made his stomach churn.

Louis had avoided all thought of reunion with Harry for years. Now he couldn’t displace it from his mind. What would it be like after all this time? Would they fall back into their easy friendship like when they were children? Would they greet each other with shy hellos, both too afraid to say what they were really thinking? Or would be as if they were nothing, without acknowledgment to what they once shared? He would go crazy with the possibilities.

He picked up the phone to call the only person he knew would talk some sense into him. “Zayn,” he said as soon as the line picked up, “What am I supposed to do when I see him?”

Zayn groaned, “Louis, the wedding is months away. Why are you even worrying about this right now?”

“I’m panicking. I still love him. Shit, I still love him. How am I supposed to ignore that? Jesus, I’m gonna pass out.”

“Lou, calm down. I know you still love him, but you need to think about this rationally. You haven’t spoken to him in ages. Maybe he has moved on, yeah? Would you want to ruin that for him?”

Louis breathed deeply through his nose, “You’re right. He’s probably way happier without me. Out there living his life to the fullest while I’m rotting away bitter and alone.”

Zayn sighed, “That’s not what I’m saying. Look, you won’t know how to act until you’re there with him. There’s no use in freaking out about it now ‘cause as far as I know, you can’t tell the future mate. We’ll just have to see what happens when the time comes.”

Louis huffed and Zayn continued. “That being said, we are still going to make sure you look hot as fuck when he sees you again. No matter what his situation is he will realize exactly what he’s been missing.”

Louis laughed into the phone, “Fuck yeah, okay. That’s why I love you Zaynie.”

“Love you too, bro. Now let me alone so I can go back to sleep.” Louis ended the call and lay back on his bed. With his arms spread over his head, he released a long drawn out breath. He considered finding a bottle of something to drown his nerves in. While a tempting thought, Louis knew liquor wouldn’t really help anything. It would just postpone his inevitable freak out.

The wedding was in three months’ time. He had three months to make himself seem like a respectable adult who didn’t wallow in self-pity every other day. A seemly hard task to complete, seeing as it had taken three years for him to get to the state he was in.

He rolled off of his bed and made his way to his desk. If nothing else, a song could be written out of this anxiety. He pick up a pen and wrote out his feelings.

 

_Life tasted sweet when I was the bad twin_

_Devil himself sat waving me by_

_All of my tattoos_

_They were of no use_

_No monetary values have I_

_Ooh_

_Won’t be long till I belong_

_Bird at my window tells me tomorrow_

_Mean ol’ tornado carries me off_

_Pulls me from bed and bashes my head in_

_Buries me halfway across the globe_

_Ooh_

_Won’t be long till I belong_

_Without all of this unlucky skin_

_Think of me often_

_Loosen my coffin_

_Let all the bugs in my wooden home_

_Ooh_

_Won’t be long till I belong_

_Without all of this unlucky skin_

 

Louis sat back in his chair, suddenly exhausted. Spilling your guts could apparently be very draining. He decided it was probably best to curl bed up in bed and sleep for the rest of the day. Nothing good could come from thinking about the future before it happened anyway.


	2. Sunday: The Reunion

The three months Louis had to prepare for the wedding were filled with evasion and alcohol. In fact, he woke up on the day of his flight to a terrible hangover. Not exactly the best way to prepare for an hour long flight, but just the thought of seeing Harry after all these years had Louis sick to his stomach. Thankfully, Louis had thought to pack the night before the flight as opposed to the morning of. Otherwise, he surely wouldn’t have made it.

Louis arrived at the airport with little to no time left before his flight, knowing if he’d have stayed home any longer he would have chickened out. Niall needed him there, though which meant Louis needed to suck it up and get on a plane to Ireland.

That’s why Louis found himself waiting in line to pay for a pair of headphones at one of the random stores in Heathrow after going through security. He was watching a toddler playing peek-a-boo with the cashier when a magazine caught his eye. It was a picture of Harry Styles and Nick Grimshaw… a picture of them holding hands and kissing tenderly. Louis’ throat tightened as he picked up the magazine and flipped through to the article: _Harry Styles and Nick Grimshaw getting cozy on their anniversary_. Louis was going to throw up. He dropped the headphones and ran for the toilet.

When he arrived at the washroom he started hyperventilating. _Not again_ , he thought, _I can’t do this again_. The last time Louis had let himself think of Harry and Nick together he went on a weeklong drinking binge. In the times between sober and drunk, he would call Harry’s old number. He had changed it years ago, but drinking let Louis forget. Joey, the man who took over the number knew to let Louis’ number go to voice mail.

Pathetic as he was, Louis knew he had to get on his plane. Niall would never forgive him if he missed his wedding. He pulled himself together, or as together as he could be, and found his seat next to an attractive young man.

“Hey, mate y’altight? You look a bit green,” the stranger said, concerned.

“Yeah, not a big fan of flying,” Louis lied with a tight-lipped smile.

“Well, I’ll save you my barf bag if you need another. I’m Tom, by the way,” he said cheekily.

Louis huffed out a laugh, “Thanks, pal. I’m Louis.”

The pair shook hands in greeting. As pretty as the man was, Louis was in no shape to be flirting. Instead, he smiled apologetically at Tom, grabbed his headphones and tried not to think about the upcoming nuptials.

Tom and Louis made quick goodbyes when their plane landed. Louis sighed for what could have been. As he exited baggage claim he searched for his ride. It didn’t take him long to spot the bright pink sign with “TOMMO” written in huge block letters. Louis rolled his eyes and made his way over to the driver.

“’Lo mate, I’m Louis,” he said in greeting.

The man smiled, “Mr. Tomlinson, please, let me take your bags. It’s about an hour’s drive, but Mr. Horan has everything set up for you at the hotel for you when we arrive.”

Louis nodded tiredly, “Alright then, let’s get going then.”

***

Louis arrived in Mullingar a week before Niall’s wedding was set to take place. Luckily, the week was fully booked with pre-wedding festivities. The jam-packed schedule hopefully wouldn’t leave Louis with much time to panic.

He hadn’t seen the boys in far over a year and they decided they needed to reunite before the celebrations. All five of them were to be united except Harry, as he was still touring in the US. Louis was grateful that he wouldn’t see the man he had been in love with for all those years until the bachelor party.

Niall met him as he entered the hotel with a warm smile and an even warmer hug.

“I can’t believe you’re here! It all seems so real now. Lou, I’m getting married! Can you fucking believe it? I’m getting married!”

Louis smiled falsely, feeling his heart sink with guilt, “I’m so happy for you Ni, you’re going to be a great husband.”

Niall was beaming, “Fuck like, I love her so much man. I just still can’t believe she said yes. This is so fucking crazy.”

Louis pulled Niall in for a second hug, “It will be amazing, mate.”

Niall hugged him back fiercely, “I know it will because you will be one of my best men.”

Louis knew what that meant, that he would be one of many best men. He was going to stand up at the front the church beside Harry Styles.

He had pictured it so many times before, but he never thought he would be dreading standing next to Harry at the altar. He tried to seem happy at the prospect of being in Niall’s wedding, but in truth, he was ready to flee the country at a moment’s notice.

“I’ll let you duck in early, big day tomorrow!”

***

Louis’ phone woke him from a fitful sleep. He blindly reached for it in his pocket.

“What?” he said groggily.

Zayn chuckled on the other line, “Morning mate. Fancy coming downstairs for some brunch with the boys?”

Louis groaned, “Why are you awake?”

Zayn huffed out a laugh, “It is 10:30, Louis.”

“Oh,” Zayn hummed in agreement, “I’ll be down in a few.”

Louis pulled himself from the bed begrudgingly and walked to the bathroom. As he simultaneously pissed and brushed his teeth, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. The past few years hadn’t been kind on Louis Tomlinson. At 25, he was a shell of what he used to be. Pale skin where he used to hold a more golden hue, clearly visible wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, he could even point out a few strands of grey in his hair. He still had his soft stomach and long hair, though. Not everything had changed, he thought bitterly.

His style hadn’t really changed either. Maybe a few more blazers and dress pants here and there, but mostly just the sporty look he had grown accustomed to.

It wasn’t until he was in the lift that he started to think about how long it had been since he had seen his friends. Zayn still came around to his flat every couple of months to force him out of hibernation. Niall would still try to call to make plans, but Louis avoided the calls. It’s not that he didn’t want to spend time with Niall; he was going to be in his wedding for god’s sake. Zayn wasn’t one to pry, though.

If Louis wanted to shut himself away from the world, Zayn would be right there beside him. Niall was too happy and untainted by heartbreak; Louis didn’t want to bring him down.

Liam was a whole other story. Louis hadn’t spoken to him in almost as much time as Harry. After the breakup and their falling out, their friendship never really recovered. Not that Louis could blame him really, he’d cut himself out of his life if he could too.

On that uber depressing note, the elevator signalled that he had arrived on the first floor. Louis exited the lift and made his way to the restaurant.

Niall, Liam and Zayn were all sitting around a table when he arrived. As soon as he spotted Louis, Zayn was out of his chair and bringing him in for a bone crushing hug.

“God, I’ve missed you, man. It’s been too long.”

Louis pulled back and felt his eyes well up, “I’ve missed you too, Z.”

It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders knowing that even months of no communication couldn’t change Louis and Zayn’s friendship.

Niall jumped into Louis’ arms, “I can’t believe it’s been four years since we’ve all been in the same room!”

Louis hugged him back fiercely and added, “Not all of us are here, though.”

Niall pulled back a little to search Louis’ eyes and nodded, “Soon, though it’ll be all five of us against the world again.” Louis broke the hug before he could go and say something stupid.

Liam was much more guarded with his greeting. He still hugged Louis but with much less enthusiasm, “It’s good to see you, man.”

Not that Louis was expecting him to act like they were still best friends, but he was still put off by how cautious Liam was, “Yeah, you too Liam.”

After all four men were settled, Niall looked between them all as if he was seeing them for the first time and shook his head, “I still can’t believe we are all here together! I’ve missed me best mates. And we’re all here for my wedding! How crazy is that?”

Zayn smiled and ruffled Niall’s hair, “I never thought you would be the first of us to settle down, but I couldn’t be happier for you.”

Louis knew they were all thinking the same thing. Everyone knew about Louis’ plan to propose to Harry. He was going to do it when they returned from tour, but things started to fall apart long before they made it that far.

“What about you lads, any one special in your lives?” Niall asked jovially.

An uncomfortable silence settled in. It was Zayn who spoke first, “Nah mate, been single for a while now.”

Liam nodded, “Yeah me as well.”

The boys all turned to look at Louis. He wished he could lie, say he was happy and in love. He couldn’t though; they would all know the truth anyway, “No. There’s no one for me.”

“Well! We’ve got bridesmaids galore and I’m sure there will be some single men hanging around!” Niall said shooting them all pointed looks.  

Zayn just rolled his eyes while the other two boys sat uncomfortably, “We’re here to get you married, not to get ourselves laid.”

Niall snorted, “I’m just trying to help my best friends be as happy as I am. And that starts by helping you lot pull.”

“I’m gonna need a lot more liquor if that’s going to happen,” Louis joked.

Liam’s brow furrowed, “Is that such a good idea? Are you okay to drink?”

“Well, Liam not that it’s any of your business, but yes I still drink quite often and quite heavily. Some people _can_ deal with their problems without going to rehab.” Louis regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

Liam’s eyed darkened, “And some people can deal with their problems by growing up and moving on. Not everyone has to resort to drowning their sorrows in the bottom of a bottle.”

Every word felt like a knife to Louis’ heart. Zayn suddenly stood up from the table, “That’s enough. I’m not gonna sit here and listen to this,” he grabbed Louis by the arm and pulled him away from the table, “We’ll see you tomorrow, Niall.”

Before they exited the restaurant, Louis turned back to give Niall an apologetic look. Instead, he saw Liam with his head in his hands and Niall staring back at him in shock.

“C’mon Lou,” Zayn said in a whisper putting his arm around his shoulders and guiding them to the lift.

They were silent as they made their way to Louis’ room. He swiped the key card through the door, chucked his shoes off in the corner and threw himself onto the bed.

“Well, that was shit,” Zayn said lying down beside him.

Louis snorted, “A lovely start to what’s sure to be a lovely week.”

Zayn nudged his shoulder, “I’m not gonna sit here and defend Liam, cause he was a right cock, but I think he’s just worried about you and Harry. I mean we all are, but it’s different for him. He’s closer to Harry so he sees it from his side, whereas I see if from yours.”

“Yeah, I get it. I mean what I said was just as bad. Just sucks hearing someone call you out on your issues.”

Before he could say more, there was a knock at the door. “Well, you have a 50/50 chance of who that could be. My bet’s on Liam.” Zayn got up to look through the peephole, “You ready for a puppy-eyed apology?”

Zayn schooled his face into a stern scowl and yanked open the door. On the other side stood a startled Liam, “Um, hi?”

“I’m going to leave you two in here to sort this out,” Zayn said turning back to Louis, “I’ll just be in my room if you need me.”

Without a second glance at Liam, he left the room. An awkward silence set in between the two men as Liam stared sadly at the door. Shaking himself out of whatever trance he had been in, Liam walked over with to Louis with determination, “Listen, Louis I’m sorry for what I said. It was insensitive of me and I didn’t mean it.”

Louis smiled tightly, “It’s fine, Liam. I deserved it.”  

“No, listen. I wasn’t there for you after you and Harry broke up. I didn’t see how it affected you. I just saw how it affected Harry. He needed someone to lean on during that time. I thought it should be you, but I know now that it would only have made things worse. It’s been a long time now; I think we can all let bygones be bygones, yeah?”

 “Yeah, you’re right. I think the only way we’re going to make it through this week is if we all stop whinging and get the fuck over it.”

Liam let out a deep laugh, “Shall we hug it out, then?”

Louis stood up, walked over to Liam and wrapped his arms around the burly man. They hugged each other fiercely, “It’s been too long mate, really. Let’s never go this long without acknowledging each other’s existence, yeah?” Louis asked from the crook of Liam’s neck.

Liam patted him on the shoulder and pulled away, “Deal.”

As Liam left the room and allowed Louis to think about how the day had progressed. One day and one rekindled friendship down, not a bad start to what he thought would be a horrible week.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long and is so short! I will probably go back a rewrite chapters as I go, but I just wanted to get this out there!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping for this to be 10 chapters including the prequel, 8 main chapters and an epilogue. The goal is for it to be less then 50 000 words, so about 5000 per chapter. I'll hopefully update once a month depending on how writing goes! If all goes well I may even make this into a series and finally do something about the Ziam angst in this fic.


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